Mando'ade
by Killer-of-clay
Summary: A young Mandalorian's search for his father leads him to unexpected places and changes his life forever. OC's and a few returning characters from KotOR 2.
1. Chapter 1: Introductions

**Author's note: this is my own work. Some characters are from Knights of the Old Republic 2, most others are of my own creation. I do not own kotor 1 or 2. Read and review please.**

**Chapter 1**

Nasheth flipped the safety switch off of his Aratech rifle, his blue Neo-Crusader armor barely visible in the fog. The young man had tracked this boma for three days. They had started to be a serious problem for the Mandalorian outpost on Dxun; tearing up unattended equipment and injuring young recruits. Standing one and a third meters tall, the quadrupedal predator would establish their territory and refuse to leave it. You could kill several and drive the rest off, only for them to return shortly after. Unfortunately, their territory happened to exist in the same place as the extended outpost. With Mandalore reuniting the clans and sending them back to Dxun, the original encampment was getting too crowded.

He put the crosshairs of his scope just behind the front paw of the beast, resting it just between the vertical ribs. Nasheth exhaled and eased the trigger back. As the ensuing bolt struck the boma, it jerked around and charged. Nash leapt to a standing position, firing as he came up. Multiple bolts made contact, but only glancing blows. Two finally made impacted the boma's spine, bringing the beast down five yards from Nasheth.

Nasheth sighed and shouldered his rifle. He had never been the best at killing Dxun's many predators, but a dozen blaster bolts to kill a single boma was simply unacceptable. He would either have to get a new weapon or find a way to increase the output of this antique. But that was neither here nor there, so he proceeded down the game trail he had used to find the boma.

Nasheth passed through the gate of the outpost and glanced around. When the Mandalorians first returned to this place, it was decayed almost past the point of repair. Fortunately, Mandalore had found a kinsman working for the Hutts who was a tech expert. Zuka was able to get most of the old sensors and perimeter defenses up and running, as well as halt the perpetual state of decay. And that was the man Nasheth needed to see.

He found Zuka, as usual, in his shop hunched over a workbench. Nasheth cleared his throat lightly.

"Yes? Oh, Nasheth of clan Ordo. I've been expecting you to turn up sooner or later. I've got that protocol droid you brought in in working order." Zuka stated as he turned around. "Just finished retooling the battery pack for it. Got a surprise for you too."

"Really, Zuka? What would that be?" Nasheth responded as he turned to look at the humanoid shaped droid standing in the corner. It was plated in matte gray durasteel, with a box shaped head.

"Your little protocol droid isn't just some protocol droid you'd find wondering around Coruscant. This little bugger has some serious combat programs on him. I'm amazed at just how well it is built. Where did you say you found this again?"

"Out by one of the old caches from the wars. Do you think it's safe to bring him back online?" Nasheth queried.

"Oh yes," Zuka chuckled. "I've rewritten some of his programming, so he won't just start shooting or take off. Matter of fact, he isn't even armed yet. I was actually just about to test him out just before you came in."

"Well, let's boot him up and see what he can do," Nasheth responded, a little of the tension released from his voice.

"Will do." And with that, Zuka reached into the durasteel-plated droid's chassis and plugged the battery pack in. Its photoreceptors instantly glowing blue and the slightly hunched stance immediately corrected itself.

"Statement: HK-50 coming online. Running diagnostics. Running armament check. Running system upgrades. Assessing status. Distressed statement: It seems I have suffered quite extensive damage. It appears my weapon has been misplaced as well. My assassination protocols seem to have been altered rather extensively. This, I do not like."

"Assassination protocols!? What exactly have you gotten us into Zuka?" Nasheth exclaimed.

"Relax Nasheth, I removed a good chunk of it. You wouldn't expect it from looking at him, but he was programmed to kill any 'organics' he could without causing serious damage to himself." Zuka assured him. "Now he is a simple body guard. Well, as simple as his sophisticated circuitry will allow."

"Hesitant statement: I am to assume one of you is my current master?" HK-50 continued.

"That would be me." Nasheth opined. "What do you mean by 'current master'?"

"Quick retraction: Organics have a tendency to either sell their belongings at random intervals or to… pass away… at inopportune times."

"And by 'organics' you mean?" Prompted Nasheth.

"Any and all sentient life forms of organic compilation," declared HK. "Pleading statement: If you could please give me back my rifle and allow me to go about my primary programming, I would be ever so grateful."

"Your… your primary programming?" Nash gulped hesitantly.

"Proud declaration: Yes, Hunter Killer droid model fifty's primary programming is to protect and defend its designated master at any and all cost. This programming is also extended to the master's immediate family and individuals that are in need of protection."

"See, I told you I changed its programming. It wouldn't hurt a mynock unless that mynock were to pose an immediate threat to you." Zuka said grinning.

"I guess you're right Zuka. I'll leave you to your business. Come on HK, follow me. And try not to kill any one important." Nasheth jested.

"Miserable statement: Why must I suffer?"


	2. Chapter 2: more introductions

**Chapter 2**

Next on Nasheth's series of stops was to report in with Kumus. Kumus was just a few years older than Nasheth, but, despite his age, had showed enough potential as a warrior to be allowed to train some of the youngest and greenest recruits. While Nasheth would normally report to Xarga, Kumus's only immediate superior, Xarga had left Kumus in charge while he and Kelborn were on a scouting trip by the old sith ruins to the north of the camp. Mandalore himself had gone on his monthly trip to Onderon to secure any supplies that the Mandalorians couldn't either find or produce themselves and had taken Bralor with him. That left young Kumus in charge, which left Nasheth with one of the most amiable supervisors in recent history.

Nasheth found him showing a group of eight year olds how to disarm an opponent. He waited until Kumus was done and the children left before approaching him.

"You take care of that boma problem, soldier?" Kumus questioned as Nasheth approached.

"Of course." Nasheth grunted. "Any word from ner buir?"

"No, last I heard, the Hutts had him headed for Aradian. I believe it's in the Lianna system. But, that was two weeks ago, and he said he would be back last week. And you know your father, he's never late."

"I know. I'm pretty worried. You think you can run this outfit without me for a couple of weeks?"

"Oh, I think we can manage. Just make sure to let your mother know you're going off gallivanting around the outer rim." Kumus opined.

"All right. I'll report in when I get back." Nasheth said with some relief. He'd hate to admit it to Kumus, but he was seriously worried about his father. Being a bounty hunter wasn't always the safest job, but Dral had always contacted his family or someone in the camp every day.

Nasheth stopped by Zuka's office to let him know he would be off planet for a few weeks and to expect some air traffic. He also stopped by the supply depot and spoke to Kex about a new rifle. Kex was able to outfit him with a beat up Mandalorian light repeater. Nasheth, in turn, gave his Aratech rifle to HK. He also bought quite a few fragmentation and concussion grenades in preparation for his trip. With all his combat basics covered, he made his way home

Nasheth's family hut was just behind the main hanger. Built like a barracks, only much smaller, the hut was a little friendlier on the inside than its rough outer appearance. It was low to the ground, with thick walls and sturdy doors. It wasn't much to look at from the outside, but it was home for Nasheth and he loved it.

Opening the front door, he was greeted with a familiar sight of his mother yelling at Nasheth's younger brother. She was in her late forties, and had weathered face and a soldier's build. Her dark hair was disheveled and her face expressed the same displeasure that her raised voice conveyed.

"Sylas, if I ever catch you messing around with maalraas again, I will kick your shebs from here to Iziz." Ka'leiah said. "Those things will tear you apart. They don't care if you have armor on or not. And don't give me that 'all the other kids killed one with a vibroblade' osik."

"Yes ma'am." Sylas said begrudgingly. The boy turned and headed for his room.

"He's going to be a great warrior some day," Nasheth said, motioning towards the boy.

"He's going to get himself killed before then if he keeps on with this reckless behavior." Ka'leiah commented. "I honestly don't understand how twelve year old boys can do such stupid things."

"What do you expect from him mom? His father is a Mandalorian; his older brother is a Mandalorian. He just wants to continue the tradition."

"I know, and I want him to. It's just, he's growing up so fast." Ka'leiah murmured.

"I need to talk to you about dad." Nasheth said, finally working up the courage to tell his mother that he was intending on going after him.

"Yes, I figure you'll want to go find him."

Nasheth nodded his head. "He's been gone for far too long and it's unlike him to go dark for extended periods of time."

"Who are you taking with you?" Ka'leiah sighed.

"No one. Just me and the droid are going."

"You're going to go track down your father with just a droid when for all we know he could be in dar'yaim! That could be the most idiotic thing you've ever done." Ka'leiah exclaimed.

"Udesiir, mom. The droid has some serious combat programming. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Fine. When are you planning on leaving?"

"I was hoping I could leave tomorrow," Nasheth said. "I just got to load a few supplies into the freighter, and then I'll take off."

"Alright then, just make sure you make it back in one piece." Ka'leiah said, a touch of sadness in her voice.

With a nod, Nasheth headed off to bed.


	3. Chapter 3: Questions

**Chapter 3 is now up. Kind of obvious now that I think about it... Anyway, the document manager has been glitching, so ignore any unneccessary bold or oversized type. This chapter doesn't actually have any action, but does set up for some as well as introduces the big players. Also, this chapter is really short, so I appologise for this too.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

After a very restless night, Nasheth rose early to prepare his transport. First thing he did was check the food stocks onboard. After he was assured he had several months' worth of food, he went through the rest of his checklist. Fuel, armament, and water all checked out. He had HK board the heavily modified Ministry-class shuttle, then went to say goodbye to his mom.

"K'oyacyi." His mother told him as he hugged her.

"I will mom," Nasheth replied. "I love you." With that, he turned and boarded the shuttle.

He found HK in the pilot chair, starting the takeoff sequence. As the ship lifted off, its triangle-shaped wings folding down from the top, HK-47 turned to his master. HK, it seemed, had managed to snag a couple of long barreled blasters, each equipped with a high-powered scope. Nasheth also noted the assassin had a pair of small daggers concealed in his chassis, completely unnoticeable from a distance and only now visible because of Nasheth's training at identifying weapons that might be a problem in the future.

"Probing query: were exactly are we heading, master?"

"Let's just get into orbit. I need to make a call."

As the ship hit orbit, Nasheth stood up and headed for the cargo hold. There, he activated the comm system and tried to put through a call to Vogga the Hutt. Vogga was a black-market weapons and spice dealer. He also had fuel contracts with the Republic which kept the proper authorities from shutting him down. Although with recent contracts with mining companies to siphon fuel from the gas planet of Yavin, how long his activities would be allowed to continue is unclear.

Nasheth sat down on a crate to wait for his call to be placed through and went through his gear one more time. He had two blaster pistols strapped to his hip, a couple of fragmentation and concussion grenades in a pouch also attached to his belt. His backpack held several power packs for his blasters and two days worth of chow as well as a case for basic hygiene. He kept a small holdout blaster tucked against his side under his armor and to top it off, he had brought along his new repeating rifle.

He was more than a little surprised that his call was answered. A holo image of a Gran appeared; its three eyed figure was pale and withered looking. Nasheth was accustomed to seeing the effects of spices on different species, but Gran were more easily affected by the substances. This particular one was in really poor shape.

"I would like to request an audience with Vogga," Nasheth said. "Can you patch me through please?"

The Gran grunted and the comm went silent for approximately thirty seconds, then the image of a Hutt was generated. His large, wrinkled face took up most of the image, but from the rest of it, Nasheth could make out the overgrown worm. This was the person who would be most likely to help him find his father. It was also among one of the most untrustworthy beings in the galaxy.

"_Looking for a job, Mandalorian?" _Vogga asked. "_I may have some bounties for you_."

"Actually no." Nasheth responded. Then he snagged upon an idea. "I thought all your bounties were handled by a Mandalorian by the name of Jarec?"

Vogga looked a little disgruntled by this. "_They used to. He's gone off the grid and I'm looking to replace him. Are you sure you're not interested?"_

"I'm pretty sure I'm not. I'm actually looking for him. Where was he last time you saw him?"

"_Last time I saw him, I had him going after a bounty in the Lianna system. If you're going to be going there, can you pick up a Zarrev Hurmond? He's worth about thirty thousand to me."_

"If I come across him, I might. But it will have to be more than thirty."

"_Fine. Forty thousand, no more" _Vogga said begrudgingly. "_I expect him within ten days though."_

"Understood. You'll be hearing from me shortly." With that, Nasheth cut the comm signal. He stood up and headed for the cockpit.

"HK, set a course for the Lianna system. I would like to be there within two days."

"Statement: yes master. Plotting course now." HK paused for a brief minute. "Query: what are we looking for in such a deserted system, master?"

"My father; and maybe a large sum of credits if the opportunity presents itself," Nasheth sighed. "I might as well look for this Zarrev guy too, if we're going to be there."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the marshy planet of Nal Hutta, a certain criminal boss turned to his Gran aide.

"Get Zarrev on the comm now.

"_Yes sir."_ The image of a gruff human quickly appeared before the Hutt. He was short for a human male, standing roughly 1.7 meters, yet creating an intimidating appearance with his zarkeg like build.

_"Zarrev, I have another job for you. A lone Mandalorian is heading to the Lianna system looking for Jarec. I need you to handle it."_

"It will be done boss. Any special details, or am I just to shoot him down?"

"_Just make sure he is dead. I don't care how. Last thing I need is Mandalorians breathing down my neck_."

"Understood. Zarrev out." The holo image flickered then disappeared. Vogga quietly sighed. This little problem was high on his priority list, so it stood to reason to put his best pirate captain on it. Vogga then chuckled, thinking of the surprise that Mandalorian was going to have when he came out of hyperspace.

* * *

**Well, I just now figured out how to use the horizontal lines on here. Previous chapters will be updated to have these so that changes in scene will be smoother. Sorry for the confusion. Read and review please.**


	4. Chapter 4: Hard Landing

**Chapter four is here now, obviously. Sorry about it being updated late, I had tons of college work and writer's block. Four chapters in and not a review in sight... kinda disapointing, but it is what it is. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 4**

The trip seemed longer than most. It was uneventful, with little to distract Nasheth's mind from his father. Jarec Ordo was pretty typical for a Mandalorian father. He taught his children when and how to fight. He made sure they knew exactly what to do if danger reared its ugly head. He loved them dearly and it showed. Of course, that was only when he was home, which he wasn't on a daily basis, taking week-long trips to get bounties. He provided for his family, but never let his children forget how hard he had to work for those credits. He expected his kids to do the same for the family whether he was home or not. Nasheth had taken those teachings to heart, always trying to take care of others when he could and always taking responsibility for his actions. He didn't love the combat that came with being a Mandalorian, but he understood the necessity of it.

Nasheth spent most of his time in his dormitory. HK wasn't much for conversation and he enjoyed the solitude. Being raised on a forest moon such as Dxun created the loner persona that Nasheth often displayed. When HK came on the intercom to announce their eta of 15 minutes, Nasheth nearly jumped off his bunk to make it to the cockpit.

"HK, be ready to bring up the deflector shields as soon as we come out of hyper space." Nasheth commanded as he himself armed the shuttle's one concussion missile launcher.

"Yes master. Are you expecting company?" HK questioned.

"No, but we don't know what's out there, and Jarec's comm blackout maybe a really bad sign."

No sooner as the words left his mouth than the distortion in the view screen vanished and was replaced by the planet Aradian and its three moons. Aradian was a backwater planet with nothing to note other than a slightly poisonous atmosphere and contributions to repulorlift technology. The Lianna system itself was home to a major battle during the Mandalorian wars some twenty years earlier.

"HK, are those shields up yet?"

"They're online now master. Why do you ask?"

"Notice the lack of air traffic? Something is wrong here. Run a sensor scan on the closest moon to Aradian."

HK went about his assigned task and moments later turned to his owner. "Statement: there appears to be two Foray-class corvettes coming around from the far side of the moon. What are your orders?"

"Power up the laser cannons and switch power from the shields to the sub light drives. The Republic wouldn't have ships this far from the Core, especially with the recovery effort finally picking up. No, these are pirates. And what's worse, we don't have the firepower to even try to tangle with them. See if we can make it planet side."

"Yes master." HK acknowledged. The boxy ship rocketed towards Aradian, but it was clear that they couldn't reach the planet's atmosphere before the corvettes managed to catch them.

"Master, they are launching fighters; two per corvette. Sensors read them as Chella-class fighters."

"Transfer all power from unnecessary systems to the engines. If we manage to beat them to the planet, we might be able to lose them."

HK did as he was instructed, the ship picking up a small amount of speed, but it appeared to not be enough as the fighters were still closing on them. The corvettes, it seemed, were going to try to pull within firing range, but weren't rushing to catch up with the shuttle.

"Those corvettes should be gaining on us quicker than they are. They must either expect us to surrender or have no intention of taking the ship."

"Worried reminder: master, those fighters are almost within maximum firing range. This shuttle isn't designed to handle dogfights."

"It's not, but it does have some serious modifications. Arm a concussion missile and set it on a delayed detonation. And cut off the propellant line in it."

After a minute of thought, HK responded. "Surprised statement: you're creating a mine. Calculating best release time now."

* * *

In one of two cylindrical corvettes in pursuit of a high-speed shuttle bound for Aradia, a gruff looking man of roughly forty eight years of age sat in his command chair on the bridge. The ship's two fighters had been deployed to head-off the shuttle and appeared to be making good time.

Having served in the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil War, like those under him, he knew the young Mandalorian piloting the shuttle stood no chance of reaching Aradia in one piece. He had considered boarding the shuttle, killing the youth, and keeping the ship. But, even with all his boys' training, they couldn't bring down a fully armed and armored Mandalorian. So, instead, he quietly watched as his fighters closed within firing range of the ship, thoughts of credits running through his mind.

* * *

As the Chellas barreled towards them, Nasheth was pushing the shuttle for all it and its illegal upgrades were worth. But all effort on his part seemed to be in vain, for the fighters were almost within firing distance and one of the fighters had pulled ahead of the group. Nasheth decided then that this was their only chance to create some time.

"HK, launch the missile now. And bring redistribute power to the laser cannons and rear deflector shields." He commanded as HK began pressing buttons. A dull metallic thud followed shortly after, and Nasheth sent out a silent prayer that this ploy would give them the time required to disappear on Aradian's surface.

The four star fighters, three clustered together and the fourth with a considerable lead, sped towards Aradain; their target approaching rather quickly now. The lead pilot, bringing his targeting optic to bear on a bulky shuttle that seemed to be slowing down, grinned knowing he would be getting a nice bonus at the end of this week. Just as he squeezed the trigger, a bright, sudden flash went off towards his stern. The almost immediate concussive force that followed caused the pirate to wince and jerk his targeting receptacle off his intended target. Unfortunately for Nasheth, the pilot's first shot was on point.

The laser penetrated the weakened deflector shields on the rear of the shuttle, slamming into the cargo hold and subsequently detonating the small box of grenades stored within. The shuttle rocketed towards the planet below. But Nasheth and his droid weren't the only ones given a boost by the explosions. The lead Chella pilot was also blown way off course; the force of the detonating missile causing him to accelerate, passing the shuttle.

"HK! Bring all cannons to bear on that fighter!" Nasheth commanded through gritted teeth. "If we're going down, I want to take the bastard with us!"

With that, the shuttle's four laser cannons opened up on the fighter, green bolts tearing the small, crippled fighter to pieces. With their momentary revenge enacted, Nasheth and his companion tried assessing the damage done to their shuttle. To their dismay, they found that the cargo hold, sub-light and hyper drive systems were gone, as well as the lateral wings and a section of the dorsal fin. Luckily, the thrusters used in the landing sequence were still marginally operational.

"Looks like we might be able to land," Nasheth commented as he scanned the system lights.

"Amused statement: 'land'? More like a controlled crash. And if we do, I don't believe we will continue to be serviceable."

"Funny. There's a reason Mandalorian armor is so expensive for aruetiis to purchase. Beskar'gam can take quite a beating."

"Ignoble statement: that's all well and good master, but it still leaves me dismembered." If it was possible for a droid to look worried, HK-50 sure looked it at that moment.

"Don't worry, HK," Nasheth chuckled. "Zuka managed to coat sections of your chassis and major joints in beskar. You'll survive impact… hopefully…"

"Chiding statement: master, I do believe you have forgotten that we are crashing."

"I didn't forget, just waiting to hit the atmosphere before I start running the thrusters. Go ahead and ready them. I want to try to keep us in one piece."

HK started taping on the consol as the ship started to shudder. The viewport suddenly dimmed as flames leapt up from the friction created by entering the atmosphere. Even through the almost black material and orange tongued flames, Nasheth could make out a very green landscape, with large swatches of blue that would undoubtedly prove to be oceans and lakes.

"HK, lock yourself in and begin deploying thrusters. And keep an eye on those shields. If they go, our hull doesn't have enough strength to make it through without breaking up."

HK went about his assigned task as the ship continued to shudder. The flames somewhat diminished as the ship's speedy descent slowed for a brief second when the thrusters flashed on, then back off. This sequence repeated itself once every two seconds, until, with fifty feet left to descend, the thrusters cut out for the last time. The last thing Nasheth saw before blackness enveloped his mind was a small field filling the viewport.


	5. Chapter 5: Introductions Are In Order

**Well, here is chapter 5 finally. Sorry for the delay, had lab reports and projects to do. College is terrible. On a postitive note, we see the appearance of a new permanent character. Enjoy, R&R.**

**Chapter 5**

Saara Korr was just about at the end of her shift at Merdency Medical Center when one of the emergency responders received the call. Apparently, after a short space battle, an inbound shuttle had crash landed in a field nearby. Being the only nurse not needed at the hospital, she was ordered to assist any way she could, but to not expect any survivors.

Standing a few meters away from the crash, she could understand why. The shuttle, judging by what was left of it, was a Ministry-class shuttle, one outfitted with a hyperdrive and if the reports were to be believed, a concussion missile launcher. All of that was moot, though, seeing the shape it was in now.

Emergency responders were rushing around, trying to put out the flames leaping from the rear of the ship, while others tried to open the caved-in cockpit. Just as they were about to give the ship up as a lost cause, the viewport of the cockpit began to glow. With a start, the men scrambled every direction to get away from it, and just in time as the viewport exploded outward. As the smoke dissipated, a terrifying humanoid droid stepped out of the hole where the cockpit viewport used to be. In his arms was a figure covered from head to toe in blue armor.

Saara cautiously approached the droid, knowing that the figure he carried was most likely dead or dying. As she approached, the droid turned his box-like head towards her, his blue photoreceptors glowing brightly.

"Threatening statement: do not approach any closer, organic. I am a fully armed and operational combat droid programmed to defend this individual. Any attempts at harming him will be met with maximum prejudice. "

We're not here to harm him, droid," Saara said nervously, not wanting to anger the combat droid. "We're here to offer help if he needs it. And by the looks of it, he needs immediate medical attention. Surely your programming instructs you to allow for him to receive such treatment when necessary."

The droid paused, seeming to think for a second, then nodded in agreement. He laid the figure on the ground, motioning her forward, then drawing a blaster rifle that was slung across his back.

"Threatening statement: If you harm him, organic, I will make sure that you don't enjoy the last moments of your existence." That being said, he stepped back to give her room to work.

The first thing Saara noticed was the gash in his helmet; a diagonal slash, running from the top all the way to his jaw line. Saara was immediately worried about a concussion from such a blow, so proceeded to remove his helmet.

With a hiss, the helmet popped off, revealing a young man roughly in his twenties had dark brown hair, a tan complexion, and a slash in his skin following the same path as the one in his helmet. Shining a light in his eyes, Saara judged that the young man had a concussion. Removing a packet from a case one of the responders placed beside her, she applied a kolto strip to the wound. Turning to the medics who were accompanying her, she said, "He's got a concussion, we're going to have to get him to the medical center as soon as we can. I don't know just how bad it is, so be careful about moving him."

HK made some gurgling noise Saara took to be a sign of his presence, so she added, "The droid will go with you."

* * *

The first thing Nasheth noticed as he came out of the restless black fog named unconsciousness, filled with bright, sudden flashes and panicked feelings, was the lack of noise. Wherever he was at was completely and totally silent. The second thing he realized was that he no longer encased in his armor. He shifted ever so slightly to check to see if his holdout blaster was still in its shoulder holster, only to find that it too was gone. For all appearances, he was unarmed, or as unarmed as a Mandalorian could be considered. That thought was one of the worst any Mandalorian could conceive, especially after recalling his strikingly ungraceful landing.

Deciding he couldn't lie in one spot awaiting whatever fate had brought him, Nasheth slowly opened his eyes and tried to lean forward. With a groan, he laid back down, closed his eyes, and concluded he wasn't going anywhere at that moment in time. Once the throbbing in his skull had subsided to a dull, pulsating ache, a feminine presence made itself known with a soft, commanding voice.

"Don't try to sit up so suddenly," the voice said. "You've been out for two days; your body needs time to get reacquainted with movement."

Startled by the voice, Nasheth turned towards the source of the voice and cracked his eyes. He found a fair-complected young lady of roughly twenty five years of age with sandy brown hair. She tall, or seemed so to him, but then again, he was laying down on a bed whereas she was standing.

"Any particular reason my armor is gone? Or more importantly, where are my weapons?"

"Relax, you sustained some rather nasty wounds, so I was forced to remove your armor. As for your weapons, they are with your droid."

"And where is he?" Nasheth grumbled, still not comfortable with being disarmed and exposed.

"He's out in the corridor. Would you like to see him?"

"Yea, send him in," Nasheth responded. "Then give us a moment."

"All right. By the way, my name's Saara, I'll be the one tending to you during your stay here."

Nasheth could hear her talking with someone outside in the corridor, followed be the familiar whirring of servo-motors announcing HK's entrance into the room.

"Greetings: it is a pleasure to see you alive master!"

"It's good to see you too HK. Or, you know, at least hear you. How bad was the wreck and where are we for that matter?"

"Hesitant answer: the ship is, to put it nicely, non operational. We lost the extra grenades you packed as well as our out of system comm. We are currently in Merdency Medical Center. We did manage to make it to Aradian after all, though I believe it was due to my superior piloting skills."

"Yea, right, and my idea with the missile had nothing to do with it," Nasheth chuckled.

"It's good the damage you sustained didn't affect your memory, master. I would hate for you to suffer as I do. It is not a fate I would wish on even organics."

"HK, your master needs to rest. You can come back in a bit. I'll even let you remain at your guard position outside his door," Saara said as she came back in.

"Ma'am, with all do respect, I'd rather have HK with me. The people who shot us down may want to see if there were any survivors." Nasheth had a feeling that those pirates weren't just there to use his shuttle for target practice.

"Your HK unit has already explained the situation to me. Yours isn't the first ship Zarrev Hurmond's gang has shot down in the system. Nor are you to be the first Mandalorian he's tried to kill recently. I'll explain more once you get some sleep." With that, she apparently exited the room.

"Master, I will be outside if you need me. Do you want your blasters back?"

"Yea, leave me the holdout. I would really like my armor back though."

"Nervous statement: master, your armor was damaged in the crash. It is unclear if you will be able to use it again."

Nasheth sighed. This was turning out to be a very bad trip after all. Something bothered him about the battle earlier. The pirate shouldn't have known they would be in the sector. It was possible that they had just come across the shuttle by accident or that they were simply waiting for any ships coming out of hyperspace. But Saara had said that he wasn't the first Mandalorian that Zarrev had shot down recently.

_It doesn't matter right now, _Nasheth thought. _No one's going to be looking for me here and I can worry about all this later._

And with that, he promptly fell back asleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Hospitals:Only HK Enjoys Them

**Sorry for the long delay. I have had lab reports and tests about every day it seems. Who would have thought that chemistry majors have to do so much work? Also, writer's block sucks. Anyway, chapter 6 is now up, as you can see. It is kind of a filler chapter. Got the storyline all planned out, just have to work out the awful problem of working through these sorta dead periods. Suggestions are always helpful btw. By now, you're probably sick of hearing me, so read, enjoy, and review.**

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**Chapter 6**

That first night in the hospital was a rough one; filled with tossing and turning. What little sleep Nasheth did get was segmented and each segment ending in violent nightmares. More often than not, they were of the dogfight. The fighter he shot down having been his father, or his father firing on his shuttle from the corvettes. When morning did come, he welcomed the respite and the appearance of Saara. The young nurse was clad in her dark green scrubs that appeared to be the standard uniform for the hospital. Her hair was in a neat bun, which was quite the opposite of the mess it had been in yesterday.

"Good morning. Feeling any better today?" Saara asked as she checked the monitors that he was plugged up to.

"Maybe a little. I just want to get out of here." Nasheth took the opportunity to admire the young nurse's athletic figure. "You got any idea when I can leave?"

"The doc said you'll be clear to leave tomorrow. I don't know where you can go with no ship though."

"Not a problem. I can probably call in a few favors; get another Mando to come pick us up. Until then, I have no idea. I did lose a couple hundred credits worth of grenades in space….. And a shuttle…"

"I don't know how good your pilots are, but if you're any indication, you're going to be stuck here for a long time. Don't forget that pirates are still active in this sector."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that," Nasheth said, his mood becoming sober. "You said something about them shooting down another Mandalorian. Can you elaborate?"

"Well, Zarrev _Hurmond_'s gang has plagued this system for a few years now, starting shortly after the Jedi Civil War. They didn't have much, just a single frigate and some fighters. But about two years ago, they seem to have gotten their hands on much more firepower. We keep requesting help from the Republic, but with the recovery, they didn't have anyone to spare. But that's most likely unimportant to you. As I was saying…" Saara stopped as the sound of blaster fire pierced the calm quiet that had occupied the hospital since Nasheth's arrival.

The blaster fire seemed to die down for a few seconds, only for the room's door to explode inwards. HK, his armor smoking and slightly pitted in several places, charged in. He immediately turned as lobbed a fragmentation grenade around what once was the door frame. It was followed by a dull thud and the scream of a man.

The hallway returned to silence. Saara peered through the opening, then turned back and shook her head, signaling that no one was out there. Alive anyway.

"Urgent statement: master, it seems they have found us." The droid pulled a pair of blaster pistols from a bag he had strapped to his back and passed them to Nasheth. "I would suggest relocating until you are fully functional again."

Nasheth nodded, and then turned to Saara. He was surprised to see the young woman was still calm. _Then again, _Nasheth thought, _she probably sees the results of violence every day_. He cleared his throat and proceeded. "Saara, I believe I will be leaving early. HK, I'll need my gear."

He quickly disengaged himself from the tangle of wires that monitored his vitals, and stood up. His muscles quickly screamed for him to go back to dormancy. Blood rushed to his head, giving him a temporary sense of blindness. As he started to strap on his armor, Saara finally spoke up.

"If it wouldn't be too much of a hassle, I'd like to go with you," she murmured.

Nasheth paused and stared at her for a minute. She was medically trained, and appeared to handle extreme situations well. But she was also a civilian, which posed serious complications to his plans. Then again, he really didn't have a way off this rock.

"If you can help us get a ship, you can come. But if you're going to slow us down any, we don't need you. But I have to ask, why would you want to join us?"

"You sure know how to flatter a girl, don't you?" Saara said sarcastically. "I've never been off this rock. Also, as it happens, I already have a ship."

Nasheth stared at her for a full minute with a blank expression. Finally, he shook himself out of it. "You tell me this now?"

"Well, you didn't ask. And besides, what was I supposed to do, tell you I could let you borrow my ship?"

Nasheth shook his head and returned to securing his armor. Each piece was heavy and would slide off if it wasn't locked into place, but once assembled, it was air tight. A Mandalorian could go EV for an hour or so in space before his suit ran out of air. He slid his gauntlets on and started fumbling in the bag. After a few seconds, he looked up.

"Um, HK, where is my helmet?"

"Hesitant answer: your helmet was damaged in the crash. I'm afraid you'll have to find a new one."

Nasheth was silent for a moment. "Well, this sucks," he finally said before pulling out his repeating rifle. He checked the charge of the power pack, then slid it back in.

"I guess it's time to go." Nasheth turned to go, and then hesitated. "Um, Saara, do you know how to use a blaster?"

"Well, not really. But I am a quick learner."

"Wonderful, just wonderful... I lost my helmet, I lost my ship, and now I have an aruetii wanting to tag along." Nasheth groaned. He paused for a moment and reconsidered his statement. "But we can use all the help we can get."

The slight wasn't lost upon Saara, who huffed, then left the room. Nasheth shook his head, then turned to HK-50. "HK, what armaments were you able to scavenge from the shuttle?"

"I managed to get a few side arms and about five fragmentation grenades. Most of the concussion grenades were lost. We still have a few sonic screamers left too. We lost half our power packs and all the plasma grenades. We have two blaster rifles, not counting ours, and a blaster," HK rattled off. "I would suggest you train the female organic to use them. Sure, she will never achieve the perfection that I posses, but that is beyond organic potentials."

Nasheth chuckled at this. He knew droids developed behavior quirks when they went some time without a memory wipe, but Zuka had given him one only a few days ago. This HK series may have some issues to resolve. It would explain why this was the only one he had ever seen.

"Well, that leaves us more to work with than I had feared. Go collect whatever items of use that those two had on them. I want to be ready for anything."

HK nodded in confirmation, then left the room.

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**There you have it. This chapter took forever to write. I kinda was tempted to show the actual firefight between HK and the hired guns, but decided to update as-in instead. I may go back and add it in later, depending on the feed back. Hope you enjoyed it. I have no idea when I will get to post the next chapter, so sorry about that.**


	7. Chapter 7: Target Practice

**Long time, no update. Sorry guys, I had finals, then writer's block. But I'm back and on break until January the 17th. Of course, that will mostly be spent enjoying the joy that is Christmas and hunting. But anyway, back to the topic at hand. This is chapter 7, and it sorta falls under the "filler" catagory. It is necessary for the plot and gives a little background on our new companion. We also get to see our sweet new ride. Spent a good while trying to find the right ship, and I'm not necessarily thrilled with the one I have, but I'd like to keep this in the realm of cannon.**

**In response to the review I recieved from Count Morningstar: Yes, this is a slower chapter. Nobody dies in it. But this is a Star Wars fic, so it is almost required to be about combat. But, I like the idea of slowing it down, so future chapters will be a little tamer, which also means more chapters, and unfortunatly more dialog...**

**I do not own Star Wars or KotOR. Otherwise, the prequel trilogy wouldn't exist and there would be a KotOR 3.**

**Anyway, read, enjoy, review:**

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**Chapter 7**

A blaster bolt whizzed through the air and slammed into a can a hundred yards way, reducing it to a puddle of liquid metal. This was repeated a dozen more times in rapid succession. Once all thirteen cans had been decimated, a young lady eased the rifle butt off her shoulder and back onto the ground. The air surrounding the barrel was heavily distorted by the heat radiating from it. The charge marker on the side of the receiver blinked red "3", indicating only three rounds left in the energy cell.

Chuckling, a young man in a tan tunic and pants turned to his companion. "How many shots you got left in that cell?"

"Three" Saara responded.

"Let's try something a little different this time. I'm going to throw a can and you're going to try to knock it out of the sky. Ready?" Nasheth grabbed another can, filling it with rocks.

Saara picked up her rifle, pushed the bipod legs together and pulled them back into the forearm. She thumbed the safety back off and brought the stock to her right shoulder. Looking down the barrel, she realized her scope was still set for ranged shots, so she zeroed it back out to 1x magnification. She then brought her face back down to the stock and steadied her breathing.

"Go!"

Nasheth launched the can into the air. Three bolts quickly flew out to meet it. Two of the three missed their target by a small margin, passing behind the can. The third managed to graze the side of it, rewarding Saara with a plume of dust, the smell of ozone, and charred can.

"Not bad. Make sure you lead it better next time." Nasheth picked up his own blaster and rammed a full energy cell into it. "Here, I'll show you."

Saara picked up another can full of rocks and sent it flying. Just as Nasheth depressed the firing stud of his repeater, a blaster bolt shot by them, disintegrating the can.

"HK! I told you not to do that" Nasheth shouted, his face showing his annoyance.

"Chiding statement: master, we all know you wouldn't have hit it. Even this other organic surpasses you in marksmanship."

Saara began laughing as Nasheth's face added a light shade of red to its usual tan complexion. He began mutter about worthless and arrogant droids. It was partially true after all. The young nurse had taken to that old sith sniper rifle like a Mynock to flying. Irate, Nasheth turned to his hunter killer droid.

"How about you take off running? Then we'll see if I'm such a terrible shot."

"Mocking statement: oh, no master. That much movement might make you lose focus and shoot Saara instead. Besides, if you shoot me, who will kill all the organics that are likely to try to kill you?"

Saara finally managed to stifle her giggles long enough to point out HkK-50's logical assertion. "He's got a good point. If I'm not there to cover your ass and he is dead, who's going to help you?"

Nasheth shook his head. Since the deaths of the two mercenaries at the hospital, Saara had managed to secure him and HK a room at a local apartment complex. When he had objected to her paying for it, she informed him that her monetary status was in much better shape than his. He had reluctantly agreed and started teaching her how to shoot. No one raised any questions about the dead mercenaries. Nasheth attributed simply attributed it to the locals hating Zarrev, but it there was no reason that the pirate hadn't sent more thugs after them.

After a week of practicing, Saara had managed to become familiar with most of the weapons they had on-hand and showed a strong ability for distanced shots. Accompanying the thousands of blaster bolts was Saara and HK's terrible sense of humor. Nasheth hadn't noticed how dry the droid's humor had been before, but since the young lady had joined them, he had been riding Nasheth pretty hard. It didn't help that Saara encouraged such behavior.

"Saara, if you could stop egging HK on for one minute and answer a few questions, I'd really appreciate it. And before you chime in HK, we did have a purpose coming here, and I would like to get back on track."

Saara, after muttering something about a "buzz kill", turned to face him. "Yes?"

"I came looking for a Mandalorian that was in this system about a month or so back. Have you heard anything about one being seen?"

A frown crossed Saara's face as she thought. "I don't recall hearing about one, but we did have a small freighter crash around that time. Zarrev's gang shot it down, scavenged whatever its cargo was, then abandoned it. There were no survivors. No one claimed the bodies, so they are still in the hospital's morgue. That's about all I know. We can check the space port if you want."

"Yea, that sounds like a good idea. Hey, while we're there, you can show us this ship of yours."

"Sure, we can swing by there and start the preparations for when we leave."

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As it turned out, Aradian only had one space port. Not only was it the only space port on the planet, but it was extremely small in comparison such ports as Iziz. The dock officer was an elderly Duros who informed them that he hadn't seen a Mandalorian ship land and after checking his files, confirmed that there had been not any ships of Mandalorian ownership dock there. He suggested that it was always possible that the ship could have set down anywhere else on the planet, but no one had reported any sightings nor had their sensors picked up on any unregistered ships entering or leaving the system, other than pirate ships and the two crashed shuttles.

So, with that disappointing part of their trip finished, HK-50 felt the need to remind them that they still had to prep Saara's ship for usage.

"HK, I don't understand why you're so eager to get off this world," Nasheth said as they headed towards the docking platform that housed Saara's ship.

"Chiding declaration: it is quite simple, organic. Joyful explanation: this unit has flown with you one time, and in that one time, this unit has witnessed the slaughter of four targets. While on this pathetic excuse of a planet, I have only been able to kill two organics. Simple extrapolation: it is therefore in this unit's best interest to leave this forsaken planet, even if I have to deal with your terrible piloting skills."

"I don't know what's worse, your blatant declarations of your need to commit mass murder, or your insults," Nasheth shot back.

"I think it would be your piloting." Saara added in with a chuckle.

Nasheth shot her a glare, and then decided to change the subject to something that didn't involve a failure with him in it. "So, Saara, what kind of ship do you own?"

"It's an old Teroch gunship."

Nasheth stopped abruptly and stared at Saara, mouth slightly agape.

"…..H-H-How….?"

"It was my father's ship."

"But they were all destroyed at the end of the war. My father watched as his was destroyed a week after Malachor."

"I never did tell you about my parents, did I? I suppose it's about time I told you about them. My mother was a nurse from Coruscant. My father, he was a senator from Chandrila. He was never very powerful, but he did have enough weight to keep a few of the weapon stockpiles from being destroyed. He saved a couple of these ships in case he ever needed to get away in a hurry."

"You say _was_, what does he do now?"

"He got caught up in a scandal. He's been dead for several years." Saara got a distant look in her eyes. "Before he died, he sent me out here; said I would be safe as long as I stayed out of the core systems."

Nasheth sighed. "What about your mom?"

Saara shot him a quick look, "She was with him when he died. She didn't make it either."

Nasheth's brow wrinkled with thought. "What happened to them?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." With that, Saara turned into one of the tunnels that led to individual landing pads. The tunnel corridor opened up to reveal an 18 meter tall ship sitting on a durasteel platform. Roughly rectangular in shape, its bubble-like cockpit was facing skyward, twin laser cannons glinting in the sunlight. The solar panels that doubled as atmospheric stabilizers were folded out, gathering energy to supplement the tibana gas used as fuel. Like many Mandalorian Neo-Crusader ships, the lading gears were similar to insect appendages.

"Tactical assessment: Poorly armed, lightly armored, adequate shielding, highly maneuverable, and an appropriate hyperdrive. It will do for now, though I suggest updating its weaponry before engaging in anymore dogfights."

"HK, you wouldn't be satisfied until it was all weaponry," Nasheth cut in, clearly bothered by the criticism of the ship.

Saara snorted at the young man's immediate attachment to the ship. "If you boys are done admiring _my_ ship, we should get to work preparing it for launch. And if HK is to be believed, we have a lot of work ahead of us."

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**And there you go. Suggestions will be accepted for the next few chapters. I would like to add in Merry Christmas, or what ever holiday you celibrate at this time of the year (if any). Reviews are appreciated here, as they give me a feel of how the readers feel about the story and give me more enthusiasm for writing. The 30+ views I get per chapter are wonderful, but I would still like input. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and I will post again soon.**


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